NAME

App::CELL::Message - handle messages the user might see

SYNOPSIS

use App::CELL::Message;

# server messages: pass message code only, message text
# will be localized to the site default language, if 
# assertainable, or, failing that, in English
my $message = App::CELL::Message->new( code => 'FOOBAR' )
# and then we pass $message as an argument to 
# App::CELL::Status->new

# client messages: pass message code and session id,
# message text will be localized according to the user's language
# preference setting
my $message = App::CELL::Message->new( code => 'BARBAZ',
                                      session => $s_obj );
$msg_to_display = $message->App::CELL::Message->text;

# a message may call for one or more arguments. If so,
# include an 'args' hash element in the call to 'new':
args => [ 'FOO', 'BAR' ]
# they will be included in the message text via a call to 
# sprintf

EXPORTS AND PUBLIC METHODS

This module provides the following public functions and methods:

new - construct a App::CELL::Message object
text - get text of an existing object
max_size - get maximum size of a given message code

DESCRIPTION

An App::CELL::Message object is a reference to a hash containing some or all of the following keys (attributes):

code - message code (see below)
text - message text
language - message language (e.g., English)
max_size - maximum number of characters this message is guaranteed not to exceed (and will be truncated to fit into)
truncated - boolean value: text has been truncated or not

The information in the hash is sourced from two places: the $mesg hashref in this module (see "CONSTANTS") and the SQL database. The former is reserved for "system critical" messages, while the latter contains messages that users will come into contact with on a daily basis. System messages are English-only; only user messages are localizable.

PACKAGE VARIABLES

$mesg

The App::CELL::Message module stores messages in a package variable, $mesg (which is a hashref).

@supp_lang

List of supported languages. Set by $CELL->load from the value of CELL_SUPP_LANG

$def_lang

The defined, or default, language. Set by $CELL->load from the value of CELL_DEF_LANG

FUNCTIONS AND METHODS

supported_languages

Get reference to list of supported languages.

language_supported

Determine if a given language is supported.

default_language

Return the default language.

new

Construct a message object. Takes a PARAMHASH containing, at least, a 'code' attribute as well as, optionally, other attributes such as 'args' (a reference to an array of arguments). Returns a status object. If the status is ok, then the message object will be in the payload. See "SYNOPSIS".

lang

Clones the message into another language. Returns a status object. On success, the new message object will be in the payload.

stringify

Generate a string representation of a message object using Data::Dumper.

code

Accessor method for the 'code' attribute.

args

Accessor method for the 'args' attribute.

text

Accessor method for the 'text' attribute. Returns content of 'text' attribute, or "<NO_TEXT>" if it can't find any content.